The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-09-24
ELIZABETH DILL.
STORY Of a Young Girl I Found
Among the Mountains.

The first time l ever saw Elizabeth Dill
she was hanging to the boot of stage
coach in the Rocky Mountains l was
climbing uE1 a narrow, rocky pass, and the
coach was coming down. AS it passed me,
l caught sight of a pale-faced, scrawny
little figure, in dirty calico dress, holding
to the straps of the boot behind Her
tangled yellow hair was flying out in the
breeze, and her bare feet just escaped the
rocks in the road.
sat down on a rock and watched the
clumsy coach until it went rolling and
swaying around a curve in the pass. Here
the girl dropped lightly to the ground, and
came toward me, kicking up the dust as
she quickly advanced. hundred yards
or more ahead Of me there stood a rough
fog-ca6in, to the door of which, before the
girl reached me, there came a slatternly
woman, with dirty baby in her arms, and
called, in a sharp, rasping voice. Lib
You Lib Dill! Whar on airth air yea"
The child was within ten feet of me
when the woman called. In reply she cried
out, in an injured and irritated tone:
S'Here l be!''
What We been dom? o, know; hangin'
on 60 the stage, like the tom-boy We air !
Want another licken', eh?n
II don't keer fer yer lickin's?" cried the
child, tossing her unkempt head defiantly,
while a frown came over her thin face
'sWeil, you better care, missp' cried the
woman, angrily.
The giTl stood directly in front of me now
fearless and unabashed. With one swift
angry movement of her hand, she stripped
her thin white arm of the loose calico
sleeve that covered it, and held it out be-
= fore me.
'Look there, and there, and there!' she
cried, pointing her finger at three long, dis
coIored marks on the upper part of her
StITu. 'Do you think keer fer any of her
llcllin's after that!n she asked, with an ex-
precision pitiful to see in the face of girl
oil fourteen years.
"What We doin', Lib Dill?" screamed the
WOMAN. Il see We, and ye'd better look
,outt'
I'll sad was going to show them marks
to everybody | could, long as they was
there said Lib to me. ''She give them to
Euc rcr breakin' an old cracked teacup. 1t
aLn't fair fer her to lick me like that fer an
old cup, is it, mlster!"
There came Wistful expression to the
child's face, wistful and pathetic quaver
10 der thin voice, as she pointed with her
bare arm toward the stage coach, which
had appeared again on a distant part of the
pass.
do you know, mister, that if l could
oaly do it, I'd hang en- to that coach some
tiue till it had carried me clean away from
HEREOF
@'And leave your parents?n l asked.
t'PGrrentsl" she sneered. EThem amt
my parents; wouldn't own 'em if they
was She amt no kin at all, an her mans
only some forty-ffth cousin or other of my
dead an gone mother; but they're jist as
huch kin as want 'em to be-"
The words were uttered with scorn, but
on Lih's face was malignant look that no
young girls face should wear.
Uamlndful of the woman's command to
''Conc right straight here" Lib sat down
ON rock near me, rested her chin in one
OF her thin hands, and asked: "Where you
Groin!m
''Froiu New England" said.
~pnrty country, amt it,"
Very pretty indeed, at this tame of the
year" 1t was then October Have you
ever been East!n / asked.
''Mep' Lib laughed that unpleasant
laugh again. She stood on bowlder, and
pointed far away to the west, to where a
long line of mountain peaks rose dark and
unbroken in the distance
MISTER" she said, 81 amt never been
beyond them mountains in all the days of
my life. Crystal City lays at the foot o.
that range, an was born there. That
stage coach goin' down this pass III be
further east by noon than l ever was. From
this rock | can see further north an south
than ever was. Me been Eastl Better
ask if l amt been ter college too!'
Il don't suppose you have a school here"
said as gently as l could.
'Mister, I'm the only boy or girl of school
age or size in ten miles O. here. Have you
any children, misterl'
81 have three" said.
SCOT little girl, mebbe3"
eyes," | said, "a little GIRL" thankful
chat she was not as this child was.
"Mebbe she's bout my size, misterln
''She is" | said
t'Well, now, mister" said Lib, slowly
gaud deliberately, show would you like fer
her to be like mel How would you like
fer her to be licked fer nothin', like l ans"
/ shuddered at the mere suggestion of
such dread contingencies. Lib went on:
"You wouldn't like it, heyl / reckon
not Well, l do hope that little girl of
yOur'n III never be like l am, nor what pm
MkelY to be when grow up"